In today's high tech environment, static electricity is more than just the annoyance of a little shock on a dry winter's day. Sensitive electronic components can be damaged or degraded by electrostatic discharges. Besides causing equipment to malfunction, static can ignite flammable gases. And the static discharge doesn't require a dry winter's day.
Low humidity, air conditioned rooms provide the "dry winter's day" atmosphere all year round. Thus, computer terminals, data-processing equipment, coronary care units, radiological facilities, and the like, all housed in such rooms are all candidates for destruction by electrostatic discharges.
In a paper presented at the 1984 Nepcon West Conference "Choosing a Floor Management Program for Effective Static Control", Michael T. Brandt points out:
"One of the prime generators of static in any populated environment is the movement of personnel or equipment across a floor surface. The interaction between shoe or caster and floor surface can generate significant static voltages as shown in Table I.
TABLE I ______________________________________ Typical Electrostatic Voltages Electrostatic Voltages Means of Static Generation 10-20% R.H. 65-90% R.H. ______________________________________ Walking across carpet 35,000 1,500 Walking over vinyl floor 12,000 250 Worker at bench 6,000 100 Mobile storage carts on Up to 5,000 Volts vinyl floors ______________________________________
Static would be less of a problem if personnel were stationary, if they didn't move about. If they remained at their work stations. If they didn't move products from one area to another. But the fact is, movement exists and static is generated throughout the entire work environment."